Improvement in wooden pavements



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIOE.-

EATON SHAW, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WOODEN PAvEMENTs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 112,503, datd March 7, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LEATON SHAW, of the city of Portland, in the county of. Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain Innprovements in Wooden-Pavements and I de clare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l represents :a vertical section, and Fig. 2 a plan. y

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

The object of this invention is to construct a simple cheap wooden pavement, in which the blocks shall not beliable to displacement from expansion by the absorption of water, nor from the yieldingof the foundation beneath them.

To this end yit consists in combining a series of blocks, isolated -from each other by some elastic substance,with truncated wedgeshaped sills, and with boards set edgewise in the sand between the sills, and directly under the center of each paving-block,as hereinafter described.

In the drawings, B B represent vwooden blocks, square or oblong, arranged so as to leave a space, G, entirely around each one, isolating it from all its fellows. This space is iilled in with any elastic composition suita- `ble for the purpose which will yield to the expansion of the blocks, and again resume I set with their edges resting upon sleepers A A, `buried in the sand and arranged longitudinally of the roadlbed, each sleeper having the form of a truncated wedge lying upon its broadest side, withits narrowest side uppermost.

The lower edges of the sleepers may closely approach each other, `if preferred, so as to give them great iirmness' and immobility. Their upper` surface is so narrow that not more than from three-quarters of an inch to an inch ofthe blocks B B bears upon them on each side, my object in the whole construction being to obtain the greatest possible support for the blocks without bringing two wood surfaces in contact any more than is absolutely necessary.

The spaces between the sills are filled with sharp sand, which is-directly contiguous to l the whole under surface of the blocks, except along the narrow line where they bear on the sills, and which is also contiguous to the bot tom-and sides ot the sills, as shown in Fig. 1.

y Strips of board c c are inserted in the sand midway between the sills, and directly under the middle of the blocks, care being taken not to have them come in contact with the edges of thev sills nor the under side of the blocks.

The upper edge of these strips should come nearly. up to the blocks, as shown, so -that if the sand should be displaced from under one side of them it will not be crowded over to` the other side, but will rather be forced down under the sill on the same side, and brace that up stronger for the additional labor it has to perform ot' supporting the block alone.

The function of the strips, it will be observed, is not alone to prevent the sand from shifting under the level of the sills, but also to prevent it from shifting between them, the strips and the supporting-sills operating in combination to keep the sand uniform under the blocks.

`I am aware that similar strips have been used Linder a pavement consisting of blocks resting entirely on the sand; and I am also "A, buried in the sand, wooden strips c o being also inserted in the sand between the sills, substantially as and for the purposes described.

EATON sEAvv.V

Witnesses L. HILL, J. S. FOWLER. 

